CEO Bob Chapek Says He Stands By Disney’s Response To Don’t Say Gay Bill

Disney CEO, Bob Chapek has backed the company’s response to the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill in Florida. 

Disney had initially come under fire earlier this year over its silence during the outrage over Florida’s controversial Parental Rights in Education bill. Dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the legislation prohibits classroom discussion on sexual orientation and gender identity for students from kindergarten through to third grade.

A former senior Disney executive told Financial Times that, “In a short period of time, they managed to piss off both the left and the right”.

Employees Speak Out

Statement from The Walt Disney Company on signing of Florida legislation: pic.twitter.com/UVI7Ko3aKS

— The Walt Disney Company (@WaltDisneyCo) March 28, 2022

LGBTQI employees at Disney were alienated by the company’s lack of stance on the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and staged a walkout in protest. The outrage amongst employees prompted a Disney executive to suggest that the company sign a letter written by the Human Rights Campaign opposing the bill. However, Geoff Morrell, Disney’s head of corporate affairs, nixed the idea. The letter had been signed by Apple and Amazon, but Morrell insisted that Disney should not weigh in on controversial political matters.

Executives at Disney ended up regretting this decision as the company faced backlash for their silence and ultimately came out in opposition to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

“Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law,” Disney said in a statement. “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that.”

“We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country” Disney added.

Incensed over Disney’s decision to speak out, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis  in April 2022 signed a bill into law that removed the company’s power to self-govern and regulate Disney World. 

CEO Weighs In

Now Disney CEO, Bob Chapek, said the company withstood the attacks over its stand on the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

“These are complex social issues where we absolutely, positively want to represent the needs and the expectations of our cast members, but we also realize that sometimes in such a divided world, there’s not alignment between what possibly large constituencies of our guest and consumer base are looking for in terms of the kind of content that they want to show their kids at this particular time.” Chapek told The Hollywood Reporter.

“What we try to do is be everything to everybody. That tends to be very difficult because we’re The Walt Disney Company. When you’re a lightning rod for clicks and for political podium speeches, the essence of our brand can be misappropriated or misused to try to fit the needs of any one particular group’s agenda. We want to rise above that.” Chapek said.

As an LGBTQ+ Disney employee who loves the company & the people he works with I can say with much certainty that the LGBTQ+ employees of Disney do not feel this way about Bob Chapek’s actions during “Don’t Say Gay” in any way. Employees were being smeared & the company was silent pic.twitter.com/lRt3A1zyGW

— Benjamin Siemon (@BenjaminJS) September 11, 2022

Chapek went on to add, “We are a very cohesive, big, happy family. I think our staff saw how I stood firm during the ultimate barrage of attacks from certain political constituencies and, frankly, I think it was much stronger and much longer and much harder than they ever could have imagined and we stood our ground. So I think it’s safe to say that actions speak louder than words, and they saw resiliency and consistency no matter how strong the attacks.”

The company’s initial silence on the matter does rankle some who feel it’s subsequent stand was a case of too little too late.

“As an LGBTQ+ Disney employee who loves the company & the people he works with I can say with much certainty that the LGBTQ+ employees of Disney do not feel this way about Bob Chapek’s actions during “Don’t Say Gay” in any way,” Benjamin Siemon, a writer for Disney tweeted. “Employees were being smeared & the company was silent”.